Wagering Game Combining Baccarat and Poker

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and computer readable storage medium for implementing a wagering game. The wagering game allows a player place an initial wager, and then to take initial cards subsequently dealt to him, and split it into two separate hands, a baccarat hand and a poker hand. The dealer is also dealt initial cards and splits his or her hand into a baccarat hand and a poker hand. The player plays a poker game against the dealer and also a baccarat game against the dealer. The player&#39;s initial wager is resolved based on the outcome of these two games.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit to U.S. provisional application 61/073,755, filed on Jun. 18, 2008, entitled, “Wagering Game Combining Baccarat and Poker” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present inventive concept relates to a system, method, and computer readable storage, for playing a variation of a casino baccarat/poker game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present general inventive concept to provide a wagering game that combines baccarat and poker.

The above aspects can also be obtained by a method that includes (a) receiving an initial wager from a player; (b) dealing initial player cards to the player; (c) dealing initial dealer cards to a dealer; (d) splitting, by the player, the initial player cards into a player's poker hand and a player's baccarat hand; (e) splitting, by the dealer, the initial dealer cards into a dealer's poker hand and a dealer's baccarat hand; (f) evaluating a poker game using the player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand; (g) completing a baccarat game using the player's baccarat hand and the dealer's baccarat hand; and (h) resolving the initial wager based on the evaluating and the completing.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing a wagering game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary second method of implementing a wagering game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a sample table layout, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating sample hardware that can be used to implement an electronic version of the methods described herein, according to an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

The general inventive concept relates to a game which can combine aspects of baccarat and poker. The game is generally played as followed. The player makes a wager or wagers. The player is then dealt his or her cards and the dealer is dealt his or her cards. The player will split his hand into two separate hands, a player's baccarat hand formed with two selected cards and a player's poker hand formed of the remaining cards not used in the baccarat hand. The player is free to split the initial cards dealt into two hands however the player chooses. The dealer will also split his or her cards into two hands, a two card dealer's baccarat hand and a dealer's poker hand formed of the remaining cards. A poker game is held between the player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand, whoever has the higher ranking poker hand wins. A baccarat game is held between the player's baccarat hand and the dealer's baccarat hand. The baccarat game is dealt and resolved as known in the art, wherein the player wins when the “player” in baccarat according to known rules wins, and the dealer wins when the “dealer” according to known rules wins. If the player wins both games (poker and baccarat), then the player wins his or her initial wager. If the player loses both games (poker and baccarat), then the player loses his or her initial wager. Otherwise, the player pushes (the player wins one hand and loses one hand).

The poker game can be resolved as known in the art. Typically, whichever player (player or dealer) has a higher ranked poker hand according to known rankings will win. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,759, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, for a description of how poker games can be resolved. Baccarat is a game in which the object is to get a higher hand (as close to 9) as possible, and the player with the highest hand wins. Baccarat as well known in the art, for a description of the standard rules of baccarat please see U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,917, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing a wagering game, according to an embodiment.

The method can begin with operation 100, wherein the house (e.g., casino) receives a player's wager. This can be accomplished by the player placing a single wager on a betting circle in front of him on a gaming table.

The method can proceed to operation 102, wherein the dealer deals the player's initial cards and the dealer's initial cards. Typically, the number of player's initial cards will equal the number of dealer's initial cards, although this is not required. The number of cards dealt to the player will be two plus the number of cards used for the poker hand. For example, if the poker hand is to be formed of three cards, then the number of cards dealt to the player (and dealer) would be five. The dealer's cards would typically be dealt face down so that the player(s) would not see them. The player's cards can be dealt face up or face down.

Form operation 102, the method proceeds to operation 104, wherein the player sets his or her initial cards into a player's poker hand and a player's baccarat hand (two cards). For example, if five initial cards are dealt to the player, then the player would choose two out of these initial cards for the player's baccarat hand and the remaining cards would form the player's poker hand. The player would physically separate the two hands (player's poker hand and player's baccarat hand) on the table in front of him so it is clear to the dealer which cards form a part of which hand (the cards can be face up or face down at this point).

From operation 104, the method proceeds to operation 106, wherein the dealer also sets the dealer's initial cards into a dealer's baccarat hand and a dealer's poker hand. The dealer would typically do this according to a “house way” in which is predetermined for all circumstances. Typically, the dealer should not have any discretion in how the dealer's hands are set so that there is no dealer skill involved at all.

From operation 106, the method can proceed to operation 108, which reveals the dealer's hands and the player's hands (if the player's hands are still face down).

From operation 108, the method proceeds to operation 110, which resolves the poker game. This can be done as known in the art using standard stud poker rules. This can comprise evaluated the player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand in order to determine who has the highest ranking hand, using a standard poker ranking paytable. For example, Table I below illustrates a standard table of five card poker ranks, higher is better.

TABLE I Royal flush Straight flush Four of a kind Full house Flush Straight Three of a kind Two pair High card

The method can proceed to operation 112, which resolve the baccarat game. This can be done as known in the art using standard baccarat rules. This would comprise evaluating the player's baccarat hand and the dealer's baccarat hand, dealing additional card(s) if necessary (according to standard baccarat rules), and then determining who is the winner (the player or the dealer).

The method can then proceed to operation 114, which determines if the player won both games (the baccarat game and the poker game). If so, then the player is paid on his wager that was placed in operation 100 (typically at even money, although other payouts can be used).

If the player did not win both games, then the method proceeds to operation 116, which determines whether the player lost both games (the baccarat game and the poker game). If so, the method proceeds to operation 122, wherein the player loses the wager placed in operation 100.

If in operation 116, the player did not lose both games, then the method proceeds to operation 112, wherein the player pushes the initial wager placed in operation 100.

It is noted that a tie is a possibility in the game of baccarat (and with a much lesser probability, poker as well), and ties can be handled in numerous ways. For example, no change in the operations of FIG. 1 can be made in the case of ties. If the player wins one game (e.g., poker), and ties the baccarat game, then the method would proceed according to FIG. 1 to operation 118, wherein the player pushes the initial wager. Alternatively, depending on house rules, ties can be treated as win or a loss for the player.

In another embodiment, the player can place two separate wagers, one for the poker game and one for the baccarat game. The player can win and lose each of these bets independently of the other.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary second method of implementing a wagering game, according to an embodiment. In this method, the player places separate bets for each of the poker game and the baccarat game.

The method can begin with operation 200, wherein the house receives a poker wager and a separate baccarat wager from the player. Both wagers can be required to be placed, or the house can require at least one to be placed.

From operation 200, the method proceeds to operation 202, which deals the player's initial cards and the dealer's initial cards. This can be done similarly to operation 102.

From operation 202, the method can proceed to operation 204, wherein the player sets his or her initial cards into a player's poker hand and a player's baccarat hand. This can be done similarly to operation 104.

From operation 104, the method can proceed to operation 206, wherein the dealer sets the dealer's initial cards into a dealer's poker hand and a dealer's baccarat hand. This can be performed similarly to operation 106.

From operation 206, the method can proceed to operation 208, which reveals the player's hands and the dealer's hands. This can be performed similarly to operation 108.

From operation 208, the method can proceed to operation 210, which resolves the player's poker wager that the player placed in operation 200. This can be performed as described herein, by evaluating the cards in the player's poker hand to determine the highest rank therein, and evaluating the cards in the dealer's poker hand to determine the highest rank therein, and determine who has the highest poker rank, the player or the dealer. If the player's hand outranks the dealer's hand (e.g., the player has a straight flush while the dealer has three of a kind), the player wins the poker wager placed in operation 200 (typically at even money, although other payouts can be used). If the dealer's hand outranks the player's hand, then the player loses the player's poker wager (e.g., the poker wager is taken off the table and kept by the dealer).

From operation 210, the method can proceed to operation 212, which completes the baccarat game using the player's two card baccarat hand and the dealer's two card baccarat hand. The baccarat game is completed as known in the art. If the player wins the baccarat game, then the player wins a payout on the baccarat wager placed by the player in operation 200 (typically at even money although other payouts can be used). If the player loses the baccarat game (i.e., the dealer wins), then the player loses the baccarat wager placed by the player in operation 200 (e.g., the baccarat wager is taken off the table and kept by the dealer).

In operations 106 and 206, the dealer will set his or her hand according to a predetermined “house way.” The house way can be a predetermined algorithm chosen by the house so that the same dealer decisions will be made without leaving any actual choices to the dealer.

One example of a house way to set the baccarat hand and poker hand is as follows. The dealer can examine all of the cards in the dealer's initial cards, and take the two cards that as a pair will create the best baccarat hand. These two cards will be used for the baccarat hand, while the remaining cards out of the initial cards will be used for the dealer's poker hand.

For example, if the dealer's initial five cards are: king spade/queen hearts/2 diamonds/7 clubs/king hearts, since the best possible baccarat hand is a 9, the dealer would use the 7 clubs and 2 diamonds as the baccarat hand (which totals 9), and the remaining cards (king spades, queen hearts, king hearts) would be used for the poker hand. If the dealer would not be able to make a baccarat hand of 9, the dealer would make the best baccarat hand possible using two cards out of the initial cards (e.g., if the dealer could not make a 9 but can make an 8, then the dealer would use the two cards that would total 8).

If there are multiple two card combinations that can make the same baccarat hand (suits are not relevant for the game of baccarat but are relevant for the poker game), then the dealer would then choose the two card combination (out of the multiple two card combinations that can make the same best baccarat hand) that would also make the best poker hand. For example, if the dealer's initial cards are: 4 spades/3 clubs/2 clubs/3 diamonds/10 clubs, the best possible baccarat total from these cards would be 7 (made from either of these pairs: 4 spades/3 clubs or 4 spades/3 diamonds). If the dealer uses the former pair, the poker hand would then have to be: 2 clubs/3 diamonds/10 clubs (forming no hand). If the dealer uses the latter pair, the poker hand would then have to be 2 clubs/3 clubs/10 clubs (forming a flush). Since the latter poker hand (the flush) is better than the former poker hand, the dealer would choose to use the 4 spades/3 diamonds as the baccarat hand and the 3 clubs/2 clubs/10 clubs as the poker hand.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a sample table layout, according to an embodiment. The layout illustrated in FIG. 3 is used to implement the method described in FIG. 2 because it has two betting circles for each player.

A gaming table 300 can be used to play the games described herein. A table felt covers the gaming table 300. The gaming table 300 accommodates six simultaneous players, although of course any number of players can be accommodated. A dealer's baccarat hand 302 and a dealer's poker hand 304 are shown. This would be after the dealer sets the hands in operation 106. A player's baccarat hand 310 and a player's poker hand 312 are shown. This would be after the player sets his or her hands in operation 104. A player's poker wager 306 is shown as well as a player's baccarat wager 308. These are chips (which can be exchanged for cash at the casino cashier) placed over respective betting circles (not visible because the chips cover the betting circles). A poker wager betting circle 314 is shown for another player (not the player currently playing) and a baccarat betting circle 316 is shown for the another player. However, as illustrates in FIG. 3, only one player is currently playing against the dealer.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating sample hardware that can be used to implement an electronic version of the methods described herein, according to an embodiment. Electronic versions of the game can be played on an electronic gaming device or online using a computer client connected to the Internet.

A processing unit 400 (such as a microprocessor and associated components) can be connected to an output device 401 such as a touchscreen, CRT, plasma display, etc. The processing unit 400 is also connected to an input device, such as a touchscreen, keyboard, mouse, etc. The processing unit 400 is also connected to a network connection 403 which can connect to any type of computer communications network, such as a LAN, WAN, the Internet, etc. The processing unit 400 is also connected to a RAM 404 and a storage device 405 which can be a ROM, hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD drive, or any known storage device. Computer readable storage medium 406 can be a CD, DVD, etc., which stores assets (programs, media files, etc.) which can be used to control a computer to implement the methods described herein. The processing unit 400 can also be connected to a financial apparatus 407 which on an electronic gaming device located in a casino can be used to collect cash from a player and to pay payouts to the payer (either in the form of cash, coins, tickets, or electronic payouts).

It is noted that the methods described herein can be played using any number of physical or virtual decks (e.g., 1-8 or more). Standard decks of 52 cards can be used, as well as other kinds of decks, such as Spanish decks, decks with wild cards jokers), etc. The operations described herein can be performed in any sensible order. Furthermore, numerous different variants of house rules can be applied. For example, the dealer can hit on soft 17 or stand on soft 17, depending on house rules. Cards can be given their standard point values as known in the art (e.g., 2-10 have their face value, jack, queen, and king, have a point value of 10, and ace has a point value of 1 or eleven).

The descriptions provided herein also include any hardware and/or software known in the art and needed to implement the operations described herein. Further, all methods described herein can be programmed on a digital computer and stored on any type of computer readable storage medium.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

1. A method to play a wagering game, the method comprising: receiving an initial wager from a player; dealing initial player cards to the player; dealing initial dealer cards to a dealer; splitting, by the player, the initial player cards into a player's poker hand and a player's baccarat hand; splitting, by the dealer, the initial dealer cards into a dealer's poker hand and a dealer's baccarat hand; evaluating a poker game using the player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand; completing a baccarat game using the player's baccarat hand and the dealer's baccarat hand; and resolving the initial wager based on the evaluating and the completing.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the initial player cards are five cards and the initial dealer cards are five cards.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the initial player cards are seven cards and the initial dealer cards are seven cards.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein splitting by the dealer comprises using a predetermined house way.
 5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the house way comprises using two cards out of the initial dealer cards that form a best baccarat hand as the dealer's baccarat hand and using remaining cards out of the initial dealer cards for the dealer's poker hand.
 6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the house way comprises using two cards out of the initial dealer cards that form a best baccarat hand as the dealer's baccarat hand and using remaining cards out of the initial dealer cards for the dealer's poker hand, wherein if multiple pairs of initial cards all form the best baccarat hand, then using a particular pair out of the multiple pairs as the dealer's baccarat hand that also results in a best dealer's poker hand formed by remaining cards in the initial dealer cards.
 7. An electronic gaming device to play a wagering game, the gaming device comprising: a processing unit performing: receiving an initial wager from a player; dealing initial player cards to the player; dealing initial dealer cards to a dealer; splitting, by the player, the initial player cards into a player's poker hand and a player's baccarat hand; splitting, by the dealer, the initial dealer cards into a dealer's poker hand and a dealer's baccarat hand; evaluating a poker game using the player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand; completing a baccarat game using the player's baccarat hand and the dealer's baccarat hand; resolving the initial wager based on the evaluating and the completing; and an output device outputting results of the processing unit.
 8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the initial player cards are five cards and the initial dealer cards are five cards.
 9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the initial player cards are seven cards and the initial dealer cards are seven cards.
 10. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein splitting by the dealer comprises using a predetermined house way.
 11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the house way comprises using two cards out of the initial dealer cards that form a best baccarat hand as the dealer's baccarat hand and using remaining cards out of the initial dealer cards for the dealer's poker hand.
 12. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the house way comprises using two cards out of the initial dealer cards that form a best baccarat hand as the dealer's baccarat hand and using remaining cards out of the initial dealer cards for the dealer's poker hand, wherein if multiple pairs of initial cards all form the best baccarat hand, then using a particular pair out of the multiple pairs as the dealer's baccarat hand that also results in a best dealer's poker hand formed by remaining cards in the initial dealer cards. 